2021 started off slowly for local music fans, with smaller concerts held in the Spring, and large-scale shows returning by mid-summer. The return of Folk and Jazz to Fort Adams in July signaled live music was back, with Covid restrictions in place of course.

We were there all year covering more live music than any other local publication. Even in challenging times, there were many memorable moments. From Newport Folk and Jazz to Farm Aid to the Rhythm and Roots Festival, musicians and artists made every moment matter.

WUN Concert Photographer Rick Farrell shares some of his favorite photos from 2021 in the slideshow below. Farrell covered shows from Massachusetts to Connecticut, at venues including PPAC, the Xfinity Center, the Greenwich Odeum and of course, Fort Adams in Newport. Enjoy some of his best work below.

  • Ziggy Marley
  • Jakob Dylan
  • Rhiannon Giddens
  • Lindsey Stirling
  • Khruangbin
  • John Mellencamp
  • Alice Cooper
  • Christine Ohlman
  • Dave Matthews
  • Grace Potter
  • Daryl Hall and John Oates

Lifestyle Editor Ken Abrams writes about music, the arts and more for What'sUpNewp. He is also an Editor and Writer for Hey Rhody Media. Ken DJ's "The Kingston Coffeehouse," a roots/folk/rock radio show every Tuesday, 6-9 PM on WRIU 90.3 FM. He is a former educator in the Scituate, RI school system where he taught Social Studies for over 30 years. He is on the board of the Rhode Island Folk Festival and Newport Live (formerly Common Fence Music), a non-profit that brings diverse musical acts to...

​Rick Farrell of Mojo Photography has been drawn to music his entire life. Maybe it was growing up in Newport, RI, host to the venerable Newport Jazz and Folk festivals. Or maybe it was the countless hours listening to his older siblings' classic LP's and 45's on the stereo in the 1960's. Whatever the reason, there has always been a strong connection. He had originally taken up photography as a hobby, eventually gravitating towards shooting professionally in 2007. Never knowing what his true...